Poll: 65 pct of Greeks doubt refugees can integrate

Almost two in three Greeks doubt that the refugees who remain in the country will be able to integrate into local society, according to a new poll by Public Issue published Monday.

The telephone survey, conducted on behalf of Sunday’s Avgi newspaper, found that 65 percent think refugees would probably not be able to integrate, while 27 think they probably would. Half of the respondents said they feel that refugees are probably a threat to security in Greece, although 41 percent said that they pose no threat.

Three-quarters of those questioned said they believe that problems would result if refugees were permanently housed in their neighborhoods. Only 22 percent said this would not lead to any problems.

The survey also suggests that most Greeks are skeptical of the role played by nongovernmental organizations, possibly in the wake of volunteers being accused of inciting refugees. Public Issue found that 65 percent of Greeks have a negative view of NGOs, while 27 percent view them positively.

However, the most definitive answer of the poll came when the sample of 1,010 respondents were questioned about whether they thought Turkey would uphold its part of the refugee agreement with the European Union: 85 percent said they thought Ankara would probably not abide by the deal.